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Hi, please help me decide which of these moves fits me best. I keep going back and forth between both, I can't make up my mind.
Info about me:
I'm in my 30s. Moved and lived in my different parts of the US. Growing tired of moving and wanting to settle for good in a place next year.
My priorities are:
1. Buying an actual house (in a safe, quiet area) at a reasonable price so I can live by myself. I'm in my 30s, and I'm tired of always having to have roommates. I'm in my 30s, and I don't want to continue living like this.
2. Getting a job that doesn't stress me and that I don't hate (w/ decent pay, benefits, etc.).
3. Not having to struggle unnecessarily. Just leave me alone. I don't want to compete at anything/with anyone to live my life. For example: traffic, fighting for space at places - gym, grocery store, public transportation, work, etc., being in a hurry all the time, joining the "rat race," etc.
4. Long-term vision: What is this place going to be like in 10, 20, 30 years from now? Questions about overcrowding, infrastructure, job opportunities, migration and demographic patterns, pollution, safety, crime, etc.
I've done a lot of research, and for my particular situation, I've narrowed my choices to these two locations:
Washington state - Here's what I think, in relation to my priorities:
1. According to Zillow, the median house price in Seattle is $800k. In Tacoma $400k. In Spokane $300k. If I were to move to Washington, I won't be able to buy a house right away, especially in the Seattle metro. Also, I want an actual house. I've had a townhouse before, and I don't want that again. This would mean having to continue to live with roommates for at least a couple of years. I could pay for an apartment for myself, but that's also expensive. So gotta pick a poison, and both suck.
2. Starting pay in my industry is $60k+ around the state, with good salary advancement/benefits/retirement. But I hate what I do, it stresses me greatly. So, hopefully, I'd be looking to get a job in a different industry. Overall, the state of Washington pays high salaries across the board, and job opportunities are abundant. This would give me a sense of security financially, and in having the opportunity to switch careers.
3. I've never visited Washington state, but I've done a lot of research, watched videos, etc. The fights here would be with traffic, too many people, typical big city bull.
4. I've got no crystal ball. I really don't know what Washington state would look 10 years from now. I'm a cynical person, so for me, I don't particularly see a pretty picture of this state in the future, especially in the higher population areas like Seattle metro
Indiana - Here's what I think, in relation to my priorities:
1. Per Zillow, median house prices are: Indianapolis $170k, Fort Wayne $160k, Bloomington $240k. These are much more attractive house prices for me (I don't want to overpay for a house). So I could buy a house right away in Indiana.
2. Starting pay in my industry is $35k+ around the state, with meager salary advancement, benefits, and mediocre retirement. Jobs in other industries pay even less - bad wages across the board. If moving to Indiana, I would pretty much be forced to stay in my current industry which I hate (but maybe I could find a less disagreeable job within it - although I've tried that several times, and I never find it). Job opportunities in other industries are also much scarcer than in WA.
3. I've never visited Indiana. I don't really know what struggles and fights there would be here. Maybe some racism/discrimination? Although I suspect WA has plenty of that on incognito mode. But I don't really care much about this. There will always be people that don't like you for whatever reason. Ultimately, I just want to be left alone.
4. Who the hell wants to move to Indiana? lol (joking/not joking - however, you'd be surprised, there's lots of people moving in). This is one of the reasons it's one of my choices. Obviously, the bigger cities like Indianapolis will likely face growth of big city problems, but overall, I think life conditions in this state will stay more consistent.
So, both places have things that I desperately need/want and also things I despise.
The pay and job opportunities in WA are very good, in contrast, Indiana has miserable pay and scarcer job opportunities.
WA real estate is very expensive, Indiana has some of the cheapest real estate in the US.
WA is a magnet for people, the state is considered hip/cool, frequently on lists of "best place to live," etc. Not many people think about Indiana. WA has a lot of people, a lot of traffic, and more of a rat race lifestyle. Indiana seems to be more a laid back and quiet place.
I really want to switch careers, and that would be much easier in WA. Unfortunately, I need a job to sustain myself - so this kind of takes precedence. I want to find a less stressful job so bad, that I think I'd be willing to endure longer commutes in WA, to and from work, of hopefully not more than 1 hour. I've done 1 hour+ commutes, and I hate it. But I think I'd rather have a terrible commute and live with roommates, than have a stressful job.
Thanks for your help!
Last edited by JMT; 12-02-2020 at 06:36 AM..
Reason: language
Indiana sounds like it will come the closest to fitting the bill for you overall, thought I found the worry about the state being "racist" as a bit unfounded and unfair. Stereotypes vs. reality. The media and politicians have got everyone so on-edge and hyper-obsessed about race that we just can't seem to relax and interact as individuals, not per our identity group. The social termol we're seeing now is the evidence of that. Indiana is very underrated, IMO, and has great residents. Washington has huge social problems in the Seattle area and a high COL/poor buying power to boot. The eastern part of the state is much better.
Would you be open to other states? What led you to these two? And I'd avoid "hip" and "cool" areas. Very superficial and fleeting. You will tire of it quickly. Wherever you land, I hope it works out for you.
Given what you said about "my industry", I'd think about retraining into a job category with better benefits, and which maybe even offers you some enjoyment. How much a person likes their job often trumps the salary level.
Indiana is the better option of the two but perhaps consider North Carolina instead. The average salary in NC is around 53K versus 65K in Washington, but minus a super-expensive metro like Seattle that skews that average. By comparison Indiana's average is just 37K. Home prices in NC cities are very attainable with cities like Greensboro (175K), Winston Salem (163K), High Point (158K), Burlington (138K), Kannapolis (175K), Gastonia (185K), Monroe (216K) and Wingate (198K). The first 4 are in the Greensboro-Winston Salem metro area and the last 4 are suburbs of Charlotte.
Indiana sounds like it will come the closest to fitting the bill for you overall, thought I found the worry about the state being "racist" as a bit unfounded and unfair. Stereotypes vs. reality. The media and politicians have got everyone so on-edge and hyper-obsessed about race that we just can't seem to relax and interact as individuals, not per our identity group. The social termol we're seeing now is the evidence of that. Indiana is very underrated, IMO, and has great residents. Washington has huge social problems in the Seattle area and a high COL/poor buying power to boot. The eastern part of the state is much better.
Would you be open to other states? What led you to these two? And I'd avoid "hip" and "cool" areas. Very superficial and fleeting. You will tire of it quickly. Wherever you land, I hope it works out for you.
Thanks for replying!
Yea, I regret posting the thing about racism. I'm not one of those people that cry racist all the time, I'm actually the complete opposite. I wanted to delete it, but I can't edit the post.
Yea, I'm open to other states always. But I did very extensive research and ended up with these 2, based on many factors, my personality, needs, etc.
I know that WA is a hip/cool area. I don't like that about it, and I've lived in many hip/cool places which do nothing for me. But for the other pros listed, I'd be willing to put up with it. I think I'd really like the mild and overcast weather in WA.
My priorities are:
1. Buying an actual house (in a safe, quiet area) at a reasonable price so I can live by myself. I'm in my 30s, and I'm tired of always having to have roommates. I'm in my 30s, and I don't want to continue living like this.
2. Getting a job that doesn't stress me and that I don't hate (w/ decent pay, benefits, etc.).
3. Not having to struggle unnecessarily. Just leave me alone. I don't want to compete at anything/with anyone to live my life. For example: traffic, fighting for space at places - gym, grocery store, public transportation, work, etc., being in a hurry all the time, joining the "rat race," etc.
4. Long-term vision: What is this place going to be like in 10, 20, 30 years from now? Questions about overcrowding, infrastructure, job opportunities, migration and demographic patterns, pollution, safety, crime, etc.
Reasons 1, 3, and 4 automatically eliminate Seattle from consideration, and because of its proximity, Tacoma gets the ax as well. Seriously, just think about your fourth reason. A city that allows a bunch of violent overgrown children to take over a neighborhood and evict the police from their station, with few if any repercussions, is a city that will inexorably edge its way toward anarchy. Coupled with that, apparently the homeless situation is atrocious there, and very much in your face, from what I've heard. Spokane is a different animal entirely, so if I were you, I would focus all of my Washington State attention there.
Indianapolis is not without its issues, though it's certainly a more peaceful place than Seattle. But as it grows, things like crowding and traffic congestion may become more and more acute. I've heard a lot of good things about Fort Wayne, so that may be a good place to focus your attention. (My only experience with Fort Wayne is driving around it on the interstate; but the stuff I could see from the highway looked pretty nice, in general.)
Incidentally, Washington is mountainous while Indiana is flat. If you have a strong preference one way or another, be sure and factor that into the equation.
EDIT to add, here's an article about places that Millennials are buying homes nowadays. One of the cities listed is Evansville, Indiana. I don't know if that's on your radar or not, but there it is.
Reasons 1, 3, and 4 automatically eliminate Seattle from consideration, and because of its proximity, Tacoma gets the ax as well. Seriously, just think about your fourth reason. A city that allows a bunch of violent overgrown children to take over a neighborhood and evict the police from their station, with few if any repercussions, is a city that will inexorably edge its way toward anarchy. Coupled with that, apparently the homeless situation is atrocious there, and very much in your face, from what I've heard. Spokane is a different animal entirely, so if I were you, I would focus all of my Washington State attention there.
Indianapolis is not without its issues, though it's certainly a more peaceful place than Seattle. But as it grows, things like crowding and traffic congestion may become more and more acute. I've heard a lot of good things about Fort Wayne, so that may be a good place to focus your attention. (My only experience with Fort Wayne is driving around it on the interstate; but the stuff I could see from the highway looked pretty nice, in general.)
Incidentally, Washington is mountainous while Indiana is flat. If you have a strong preference one way or another, be sure and factor that into the equation.
EDIT to add, here's an article about places that Millennials are buying homes nowadays. One of the cities listed is Evansville, Indiana. I don't know if that's on your radar or not, but there it is.
Thanks bus man. I completely agree with your point "A city that allows a bunch of violent overgrown children to take over a neighborhood and evict the police from their station, with few if any repercussions, is a city that will inexorably edge its way toward anarchy."
And I know it. But in clown world, there is no escape and one must pick a poison. I could write the same thing for the United States as a whole = "A country that allows a bunch of violent overgrown children to hijack a presidential election, without repercussions, is a country that will inexorably edge its way towards anarchy." So, I'm just picking my poisons.
Yea, in WA all regions are on the table. Maybe except Yakima.
For Indiana, I'd be looking to hopefully move to a smaller city, not Indianapolis. The bad thing here is mostly the low wages and limited job opportunities. I don't care for geography or beauty, it does nothing for me in the end. I just want peace.
Yep, Evansville has been on my radar! Thanks!
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Thanks!
